Review of The New World (2005) by Steven C — 05 Apr 2012

There's a great silent film here. Freed of the expectations of dialogue, if you approach it like a silent film, there's a lot to love. Some of it comes off hokey, and the ending is still hazy and rushed, but everything else falls into place.

Even the weak plotting (like how the English set up their settlement and how everything falls apart) gets smoothed over when you just focus on the visuals and what they reveal. There's also some beautiful storytelling: after immersing himself in the gorgeous splendors of the American wilderness, Smith returns to the fort and experiences a sudden, violent shift within its confines, all within a long unbroken shot - and once you're inside, you get the impression civilization doesn't prevent savagery, it just makes it more methodical.

Some of the ideas in the picture do seem simplistic - Smith talks about the natives having no want, etc. - but to be fair, Smith is just getting caught up in pie-eyed naivete, and his idealism can be infectious considering how GORGEOUS everything seems through his eyes.

Not a perfect movie, but there's definitely an AMAZING film buried in here, even if it doesn't quite come together.